- Joined
- Sep 14, 2013
- Messages
- 221
- Reaction Score
- 704
I was in Dallas this past weekend for a wedding, and without any advanced planning, found out about the Dallas EYBL. I had a few hours to kill on Saturday morning before having to get ready so my wife dropped me off and I got to watch about 3 hours of hoops. Before going into detail about some of the players I saw, I'll just say that if you ever get a chance to go to an event like this, you should definitely go. The scene is awesome. There were between 6-8 games being played at once, on different courts, and this was the best of the best. I follow high school recruiting as a hobby like many of you do, so when I saw some of the names on the different teams, from around the country, it was really cool to recognize a lot of guys, even though I hadn't seen them play before. The buzz in the building is real, and it's so awesome to be able to jump from game to game and literally sit courtside on the bleachers. I obviously made watching the UConn related guys my priority, and I share with you my firsthand observations/impressions. I don't moonlight as a scout so take this for what it is- my personal thoughts based on very limited action. I should probably take Reggie Rankin's job though.
Game 1: NY Lightning v. New Jersey Playaz (I watched the first half of this game only)
Isiah Briscoe (6-3, 190, Class of 2015): To me, Isiah Briscoe was the best player I saw all day. He plays with great confidence, but doesn't come off as cocky. He just has a great feel for the game and can score and create in many ways. He has a nice stroke (hit a few threes), but also has a post game - rare for a guard at this level. He seems to know when to attack, when to shoot, and when to get his teammates involved. I was very impressed by him. It's hard to explain, but he just seems to know how to play. Nothing was forced, everything was in rhythm. He carried himself like he was the best player out there, and it is warranted. His team was all over the NY Lightning. I left at halftime, so I didn't see the final score, but his team was up by around 50-30 at the break (16 minute halves mind you). I can see why he got a lot of press after this tourney. He's the real deal and his game will absolutely translate at the next level, and I can see him as a future pro. My "comp" for him is a mix between Andre Miller and Russell Westbrook. He's got size like those two, but probably not as great a passer as Miller and not as explosive as Westbrook. But he's good.
Jesse Govan (6-10, 263, Class of 2015): I may have caught Govan ) at a bad time, or in a bad matchup. His team was down big early and his guards didn't do a great job getting him the ball. That being said, he wasn't great when I saw him, but he is huge, and definitely has a presence on the court. He's a legit 6-10, 260. He showed some nice touch around the basket and he gets up and down the court fine. He didn't rebound particularly well when I saw him and didn't seem that explosive, but I could see the underlying skills. I know he's jumped up in the rankings so I likely just caught a bad half of a bad game as I saw he put up some numbers later. His motor wasn't great, which may be a knock on him. Again, very very small sample size. I've read enough about him to know he's the real deal, but he didn't stand out during that game.
Moustapha Diagne (6-9, 230, Class of 2015): I believe we have an offer out to him, although I haven't heard much about UConn's involvement. That being said, Diagne was on Briscoe's squad and was probably the reason Govan struggled. Diagne is very physical and strong. He was all over the place, rebounding, blocking shots, and playing real solid D. He seems pretty raw on offense, but he goes hard. This is the kind of big we would be lucky to get, as he looks like the kind of guy who will do all the dirty work to help your team. I think we're after some bigger names, but if this guy is your backup PF, you're in good shape.
Game 2: Team Scan v. EITI (I only watched about the first 10 minutes of the second half)
Cheick Diallo (6-9, 225, Class of 2015): I checked this game out for about 10 minutes of action to see a few UConn targets, including Diallo. I can see the hype on him. Like Diagne, Diallo plays HARD. He attacks the glass, blocks shots, and has some polish to his game. He reminded me of Gorgie Dieng, but further along at this stage of his high school career than Dieng likely was. I didn't watch enough of this game to go into any great detail about it, but Diallo was noticeably active. For what it's worth, this game had a very large crowd, so there was some good buzz going for it.
Tyus Battle (6-5, 200, Class of 2016): Battle played on Diallo's team, but I really can't say I saw him do much during the time I was watching. For a sophomore, he clearly has good size for a guard and was getting a lot of playing time, I just didn't see him do all that much, good or bad. As this tournament was for 17U, there were mostly class of 2015 players, so for him to get good run at this tourney, whether he put up stats or not, is pretty impressive. If he's as good as advertised, he'll probably be one of the headliners next year.
Elhadji Fall (7-5, 270, Class of 2015): I only mention Fall because he is 7-5. He's huge. I had never heard of him before and don't see him listed on any of the rankings websites. You don't see a 7-5 guy every day, on a basketball court or not, so I was definitely intrigued. I must say, I was impressed with what I saw, in that this kid has good size in terms of weight - he is not thin like a Manute Bol, and he's not overweight like those Indian twins. He runs the floor well, clearly affects shots, and had a decent stroke at the line. What was cool to see was Diallo go against him, because Diallo looked small as hell next to him, even though Diallo is 6-9. I'm not sure which schools are recruiting this kid but apparently he has a 4.0 and seems to be a great kid. I would think he'll end up at a higher major as he's from Senegal, and probably is just starting to play organized ball.
Game 3: BABC v. King James Shooting Stars (I only watched the last 10 minutes of the second half)
Terrence Mann (6-5, 195, Class of 2015): Now living in Boston, I wanted to watch some of the BABC game, and more importantly, reserve my seats on the bleachers for Prince Ali's game coming up. I know we had some interest in Mann at some point, but he's no longer really on our radar given our 2 wing signings and other offers. I'll keep my comments short to say that he was impressive. He has good size for a SG and finished strong around the rim. He also looked to be a good defender. BABC pulled out the win, and he seemed like the best player on the court.
Bruce Brown (6-3, 180, Class of 2016): I'd never heard of Bruce Brown before but he was also impressive for BABC. He played hard on the ball D and had one sick dunk in traffic. It looks like he's currently getting interest from A-10 schools, but I can see his stock rising. For being a sophomore he had some swag to him. I liked his game.
VJ King (6-7, 190, Class of 2016): I'm pretty sure we have an offer out to King, a SF who plays at Lebron's former high school. He had some nice moves around the basket and looks to be a good transition player. His team was playing catch up at the end, so I didn't see him do all that much, but he looks to me, to be a solid prospect. I don't know how hard we're going after him, but I know he is very highly ranked. At one point, some of the players from the next game were like, yo - that's VJ King, so I guess he has a rep on the circuit, although I can't say he stood out to me during the short period I was watching.
Game 4: Southern Stampede v. Mac Irvin Fire (I watched this entire game for obvious reasons)
Prince Ali (6-4, 195, Class of 2015, Bleeds Blue): When I saw the schedule for the morning, this was the game I had to see. I was front and center for the entire game, stalked Prince by taking some pictures and videos, while rocking my Lone Star Statement shirt. I was going to wish him good luck, but didn't want to be the creepy white guy, twice his age harassing him, so I just nodded to him. He noticed the UConn shirt, we had a connection - haha. Ok, enough of that. So, the scouting report on Prince is pretty accurate from what I saw. The kid is terrific in transition and attacks the rim hard in the half court. He is definitely a slasher who finishes well. He's known as a dunker, and he had a few dunks on the break and in the half court, but I was more impressed with his ability to get and take contact and finish. He goes strong to his right hand and can get to the hole quick. I think he scored 23 points in the game I saw, and he scored a lot more all weekend. Prince will be very good, and could be great, but there are some holes in his game that he will need to work on (as do all players his age). His handle is a bit shaky for someone his size. As for that, not to nitpick, but I'd say he's closer to 6-3 than 6-4. He's not short, but reports of him being 6-4 or 6-5 aren't true. Also, his jumpshot is not yet a strength. He can shoot it, but his form isn't great and he doesn't seem that comfortable yet taking long jumpers. He made one corner three, and missed a few other shots, but right now he uses his athletic ability to beat guys to the hole. His shot isn't broken, but he'll need to work on it. He really reminds me a lot of Jerome Dyson, and I say that as a good thing (I'm in the pro Jerome camp for the most part). He also has the tools to be a terrific defender, although I don't think anyone was playing great on ball D at this tournament, so that is hard to judge. I was impressed with what I saw. I think the reports on him are accurate. His team lost in a close game, but he definitely showed up.
Jalen Brunson (6-2m 180, Class of 2015): Brunson recently cut his list of schools to 8, including UConn. I can see why the staff is big on him, and I understand his ranking, but he is not a flashy player. He really is an old school kind of guy. Of all of the guards I saw, I would say he was the purest point guard. He controlled the game pretty well, and is a good passer (first play of the game was an alley-oop dunk). He shot the ball well and looks to have nice range. He also finished pretty well in transition. However, he is not explosive by any means. It wouldn't shock me if he can't dunk (well it would, but I doubt he's dunking much in any games). His game is below the rim, and he doesn't seem to have blistering speed, but he has good change of pace. He's probably one of those guys that gets it done quietly, and you look up and he has 20, 7, 5. I haven't seen Jalen Adams live to really compare the two, and going on the videos only is silly, but I'm more impressed by what I've seen in highlight format from Adams, and if I had to chose, would prefer Jalen, also because of his being from MA. If we do, however, land Brunson, nobody should be upset. He has some Sam Cassell (senior) in his game. He'll be a solid floor general at the college level.
Ok - that is the longest BY post I'll ever write. Wish I could have stayed longer to see so many of the other guys that were there..
Game 1: NY Lightning v. New Jersey Playaz (I watched the first half of this game only)
Isiah Briscoe (6-3, 190, Class of 2015): To me, Isiah Briscoe was the best player I saw all day. He plays with great confidence, but doesn't come off as cocky. He just has a great feel for the game and can score and create in many ways. He has a nice stroke (hit a few threes), but also has a post game - rare for a guard at this level. He seems to know when to attack, when to shoot, and when to get his teammates involved. I was very impressed by him. It's hard to explain, but he just seems to know how to play. Nothing was forced, everything was in rhythm. He carried himself like he was the best player out there, and it is warranted. His team was all over the NY Lightning. I left at halftime, so I didn't see the final score, but his team was up by around 50-30 at the break (16 minute halves mind you). I can see why he got a lot of press after this tourney. He's the real deal and his game will absolutely translate at the next level, and I can see him as a future pro. My "comp" for him is a mix between Andre Miller and Russell Westbrook. He's got size like those two, but probably not as great a passer as Miller and not as explosive as Westbrook. But he's good.
Jesse Govan (6-10, 263, Class of 2015): I may have caught Govan ) at a bad time, or in a bad matchup. His team was down big early and his guards didn't do a great job getting him the ball. That being said, he wasn't great when I saw him, but he is huge, and definitely has a presence on the court. He's a legit 6-10, 260. He showed some nice touch around the basket and he gets up and down the court fine. He didn't rebound particularly well when I saw him and didn't seem that explosive, but I could see the underlying skills. I know he's jumped up in the rankings so I likely just caught a bad half of a bad game as I saw he put up some numbers later. His motor wasn't great, which may be a knock on him. Again, very very small sample size. I've read enough about him to know he's the real deal, but he didn't stand out during that game.
Moustapha Diagne (6-9, 230, Class of 2015): I believe we have an offer out to him, although I haven't heard much about UConn's involvement. That being said, Diagne was on Briscoe's squad and was probably the reason Govan struggled. Diagne is very physical and strong. He was all over the place, rebounding, blocking shots, and playing real solid D. He seems pretty raw on offense, but he goes hard. This is the kind of big we would be lucky to get, as he looks like the kind of guy who will do all the dirty work to help your team. I think we're after some bigger names, but if this guy is your backup PF, you're in good shape.
Game 2: Team Scan v. EITI (I only watched about the first 10 minutes of the second half)
Cheick Diallo (6-9, 225, Class of 2015): I checked this game out for about 10 minutes of action to see a few UConn targets, including Diallo. I can see the hype on him. Like Diagne, Diallo plays HARD. He attacks the glass, blocks shots, and has some polish to his game. He reminded me of Gorgie Dieng, but further along at this stage of his high school career than Dieng likely was. I didn't watch enough of this game to go into any great detail about it, but Diallo was noticeably active. For what it's worth, this game had a very large crowd, so there was some good buzz going for it.
Tyus Battle (6-5, 200, Class of 2016): Battle played on Diallo's team, but I really can't say I saw him do much during the time I was watching. For a sophomore, he clearly has good size for a guard and was getting a lot of playing time, I just didn't see him do all that much, good or bad. As this tournament was for 17U, there were mostly class of 2015 players, so for him to get good run at this tourney, whether he put up stats or not, is pretty impressive. If he's as good as advertised, he'll probably be one of the headliners next year.
Elhadji Fall (7-5, 270, Class of 2015): I only mention Fall because he is 7-5. He's huge. I had never heard of him before and don't see him listed on any of the rankings websites. You don't see a 7-5 guy every day, on a basketball court or not, so I was definitely intrigued. I must say, I was impressed with what I saw, in that this kid has good size in terms of weight - he is not thin like a Manute Bol, and he's not overweight like those Indian twins. He runs the floor well, clearly affects shots, and had a decent stroke at the line. What was cool to see was Diallo go against him, because Diallo looked small as hell next to him, even though Diallo is 6-9. I'm not sure which schools are recruiting this kid but apparently he has a 4.0 and seems to be a great kid. I would think he'll end up at a higher major as he's from Senegal, and probably is just starting to play organized ball.
Game 3: BABC v. King James Shooting Stars (I only watched the last 10 minutes of the second half)
Terrence Mann (6-5, 195, Class of 2015): Now living in Boston, I wanted to watch some of the BABC game, and more importantly, reserve my seats on the bleachers for Prince Ali's game coming up. I know we had some interest in Mann at some point, but he's no longer really on our radar given our 2 wing signings and other offers. I'll keep my comments short to say that he was impressive. He has good size for a SG and finished strong around the rim. He also looked to be a good defender. BABC pulled out the win, and he seemed like the best player on the court.
Bruce Brown (6-3, 180, Class of 2016): I'd never heard of Bruce Brown before but he was also impressive for BABC. He played hard on the ball D and had one sick dunk in traffic. It looks like he's currently getting interest from A-10 schools, but I can see his stock rising. For being a sophomore he had some swag to him. I liked his game.
VJ King (6-7, 190, Class of 2016): I'm pretty sure we have an offer out to King, a SF who plays at Lebron's former high school. He had some nice moves around the basket and looks to be a good transition player. His team was playing catch up at the end, so I didn't see him do all that much, but he looks to me, to be a solid prospect. I don't know how hard we're going after him, but I know he is very highly ranked. At one point, some of the players from the next game were like, yo - that's VJ King, so I guess he has a rep on the circuit, although I can't say he stood out to me during the short period I was watching.
Game 4: Southern Stampede v. Mac Irvin Fire (I watched this entire game for obvious reasons)
Prince Ali (6-4, 195, Class of 2015, Bleeds Blue): When I saw the schedule for the morning, this was the game I had to see. I was front and center for the entire game, stalked Prince by taking some pictures and videos, while rocking my Lone Star Statement shirt. I was going to wish him good luck, but didn't want to be the creepy white guy, twice his age harassing him, so I just nodded to him. He noticed the UConn shirt, we had a connection - haha. Ok, enough of that. So, the scouting report on Prince is pretty accurate from what I saw. The kid is terrific in transition and attacks the rim hard in the half court. He is definitely a slasher who finishes well. He's known as a dunker, and he had a few dunks on the break and in the half court, but I was more impressed with his ability to get and take contact and finish. He goes strong to his right hand and can get to the hole quick. I think he scored 23 points in the game I saw, and he scored a lot more all weekend. Prince will be very good, and could be great, but there are some holes in his game that he will need to work on (as do all players his age). His handle is a bit shaky for someone his size. As for that, not to nitpick, but I'd say he's closer to 6-3 than 6-4. He's not short, but reports of him being 6-4 or 6-5 aren't true. Also, his jumpshot is not yet a strength. He can shoot it, but his form isn't great and he doesn't seem that comfortable yet taking long jumpers. He made one corner three, and missed a few other shots, but right now he uses his athletic ability to beat guys to the hole. His shot isn't broken, but he'll need to work on it. He really reminds me a lot of Jerome Dyson, and I say that as a good thing (I'm in the pro Jerome camp for the most part). He also has the tools to be a terrific defender, although I don't think anyone was playing great on ball D at this tournament, so that is hard to judge. I was impressed with what I saw. I think the reports on him are accurate. His team lost in a close game, but he definitely showed up.
Jalen Brunson (6-2m 180, Class of 2015): Brunson recently cut his list of schools to 8, including UConn. I can see why the staff is big on him, and I understand his ranking, but he is not a flashy player. He really is an old school kind of guy. Of all of the guards I saw, I would say he was the purest point guard. He controlled the game pretty well, and is a good passer (first play of the game was an alley-oop dunk). He shot the ball well and looks to have nice range. He also finished pretty well in transition. However, he is not explosive by any means. It wouldn't shock me if he can't dunk (well it would, but I doubt he's dunking much in any games). His game is below the rim, and he doesn't seem to have blistering speed, but he has good change of pace. He's probably one of those guys that gets it done quietly, and you look up and he has 20, 7, 5. I haven't seen Jalen Adams live to really compare the two, and going on the videos only is silly, but I'm more impressed by what I've seen in highlight format from Adams, and if I had to chose, would prefer Jalen, also because of his being from MA. If we do, however, land Brunson, nobody should be upset. He has some Sam Cassell (senior) in his game. He'll be a solid floor general at the college level.
Ok - that is the longest BY post I'll ever write. Wish I could have stayed longer to see so many of the other guys that were there..
